TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

As staffers packed up the official belongings of former HHSC general counsel Jack Stick, a question arose: What should be done with his custom black leather chair?

More than 38,000 Texas students — about 0.75 percent of the state's overall school-age population — had nonmedical exemptions to school immunization laws in the 2013-14 school year, according to state data. Search our table to see the totals for your district or private school.

After months of plummeting oil prices, nightmares about idled drilling rigs have become reality, hitting Texas the hardest. See how many rigs the state has lost in recent months.

After years of political wrangling, Mexico is poised to open up its state-run energy monopoly to private investment, pumping excitement into Texas. But as crude oil prices fall, will investors walk through that door? 

House Speaker Joe Straus released his committee assignments Wednesday, including new chairmen for the two high-profile committees that will take the lead on writing the budget and crafting tax cuts.

Asked about what separates him from potential presidential rival Ted Cruz, former Gov. Rick Perry talked about how executive experience would be a key selling point. Perry touched on several other issues in an interview with the Tribune and The Washington Post.

In an interview, state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, said she didn't intend to ignite controversy with her comments last week about Muslims, but stood by her suspicions of the religion. White is not the first Texas lawmaker to make comments offensive to the Muslim community.

Full video of our conversation with Adm. William McRaven, the chancellor of the University of Texas System.

We’ve revamped our Hospitals Explorer, using the most recent Medicare data analyzed by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Use our updated tool to learn more about the quality of care available at Texas hospitals that reported Medicare data.

More than 30 families who have lost someone to distracted driving gathered Tuesday at the state Capitol to rally support for legislation that would ban texting while driving in Texas.

If the state budget doesn't include tax cuts for businesses, he'll veto it, Gov. Greg Abbott told business leaders Tuesday. The new governor also wants to pare back state regulations.

Twelve years after a major mash-up of state health agencies, the Sunset Commission and several lawmakers say it's time to finish the job and merge the remaining five systems into one. Some veteran Capitol observers say they're feeling déjà vu.

This week in the Roundup: The new University of Texas System chancellor takes a stand on educating undocumented students, there's a renewed push for a statewide ban on texting while driving, and a proposed bill could land more funding for Texas roads.